Shoe rack



F. P. MURPHY 4 SHOE RACK April 30, 1 929.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1926 April 30, 1929." VF. P. MURPHY SHOE RACK Filed July 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT orr es,

FRANCIS P. MURPHY, OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASQIGMIR TO UNITED SHOE Oil? PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION MACHINERY CORPORATION,

NEW JERSEY.

Application filed July 19,

This invention relates to shoe racks such as are used to carry shoes from one partot' a factory to another and to hold theshoes be tween operations pertorn'ied upon them.

It was formerly customary to employ several ditl'erent types of shoe racks especially adapted for use in connection with the various operations performed in shoe-makinw. More recently, from considerations of economy of floor space and maintenance of racks, some factories have adopted a single type of rack construction for use in connection with most or all of the operations performed upon shoes. 7

One rack construction which has come into general use for this reason isthat ot' the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,556,425, granted October 6, 1925, upon an application filed in the name of V. E; loombes etal, which comprises relatively fiat shoe-supporting members, or pins, are ranged for contacting With the heel parts ot uppers of shoes carried in the rack bottom side up, a toe rest being provided to assist n positioning and supporting the foreparts of the shoes. Racks of the type referred to are used normally for carrying lasts or shoes, bottom side up, between operations performed upon shoes from the time the lasts are picked until thelasts are removed from the shoes.

To adapt such racks to use in connection with the finishing operations performed upon shoes, in which, case it is desirable to carry shoes right side up, a cover, preferably made of flannel, is placed upon the pins. This cover prevents the heels of shoes troin dropping down into the spaces between the plus, and serves to prevent discoloration ofthe shoes by contact With the shoe-supporting members. v I

It is customary to construct the pins vol racks of the type above described in accordance with the needs of the various factories making use of such racks. This is done by shaping and spacingt-he pins to correspond zmprox imately to the average size 9f shoe of a range of sizes of shoes to be CELI'I'IGCl lH a rack. In this Waya single rack can be made to carry any size of one speeifickindof shoes such as mens, Womens, or boys shoes, which a particular factory likely to make. However, lmcauseot'the greatdifierence lnshapes and sizescxistingbetwoenmensaud Womens anon RACK.

1925. Serial no. 12337 in the rack is such that shoes of the relatively corclingly, it has heretofore beencustomaryto employ racks having diffierently spaced pins for use in making theta rious kinds of shoes mentioned. Thus, it has been necessary, in

small sizes will drop tlnpuglrthe pins. Aca i7 factories making more than one kind of shoes,

to maintain at hand more than one setof racks with the conse uent additional expense of a maintenance anti loss of valuable floorspace during such times as oneor more sets of racks are not in use. I p a 7 In v ew of the foregoingQthe present invens tion provides ,an improved rack convertible for different uses in carrying shoes, in which shoe supporting and positioning members are arranged tor adjustment relatively to each other to adapt the rackjtor use in carrying;

shoes of Widely difi'erentsizes. l v v Preferably, and as herein illustrated, the rack is provided with a bar movable alongshoe-supporting pins into position in anyone of a pluraliti of sets of 1 rooves in the body portion of t 1e rack so 1: lat the bar may be located to position and support the foreparts of shoes of either largeor small sizes,bottoni side up, or to act asalieel stopjfor shoes car ried n the rack 1n upright-position. i

comprising certain combinations and arthe followingdesoription of a preferred c111 bodiment of the invention and as illustrated nrthe accompanying drawings,'in which 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the rack m bodying theprescnt invention; a

Figs. 2, 3 and st are viewsshovving a part a of. the rack, with the adj ustahlefhai' located in its several operative posit ons; and

Fig. 5 isa detailvie'w of one end of the bar.

A p eoi These and other teatures of the invention rsngeinents oi' parts will be understood from The illustratedrack,v asshown in Figgd,

comprises bottom frameniembers 10 and end. 3 p v -frame members- 12con1posed of steel an le sectionssecured together to form a rigid structure by means otbraces l4 and lfiyfdis agonals 1 8 and 20, andaatie rod 22. The,

bottom frame members are provided with V rack.

Each of the shelves 34 Figs. 1 and 2) comprises end pieces 36 connected by a back rail 38 and a pin bar 40. Secured to the upper surface of the pin bar 40 by means of screws 2 are a plurality of shoe-s11pporting members or pins l the rear ends of which are re ceived in a groove 46 formed in the heel: rail 88. The pins adjacent the end pieces 36 are positioned in grooves 48. The bar 40, groove 46, and grooves 48 are inclined to the horizontal in such manner that the pins 445 are supported with their free ends tilted upwardly toward the front of the rack. The construction just described provides means for securely supporting the pins, but at the same time readily permits removal of the pins for purposes of replacement.

The pins are of the alternate wide and narrow construction disclosed in the aforementioned patent, and are adapted normally to receive and support between them shoes ininverted position with the heel portions of theuppers of the shoes in contact with the edges of the pins.

Means is provided for assisting in the supporting and positioning of shoes of large sizes as well as small sizes either in inverted position or in upright position. As herein shown, this means comprises a bar 50 provided at each end with a tenon 52 as illustrated in Fig. 4. The end pieces 36 of each shelf are provided with three sets of substantially vertical grooves 54, 56 and, 58, equally spaced from the back rail 38 at opposite ends of the shelf and shaped to receive the tenoned ends of the bar 50. Thctenons 52 and the Walls of the grooves 54, 56 and 58 form interengaging parts operable to hold the bar 50,

selectively, in any one of three positions in each of which the bar extends across the pins parallel to the back rail. The three operative positions of the bar are illustrated in Fig. 1 in connection with the showing of the top, second and third shelves respectively.

The use of the rack is best illustrated with reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the bar 50 is positioned in the grooves 54 which are so spaced relatively to the shoe-supporting edges of the pins 4% as to locate the bar in position to act as a toe rest for large shoes, such as shoe 60, the heel portion of which is supported upon the edges of the pins 44. This constitutes the normal use of the rack, the bar 50 ordinarily being left in the position shown until the rack is to be used as a treeing and packing room rack. The bar 50 is then removed from the grooves 54, a cover (32 of flannel, paper or other sheet material is placed over the pins, as shown in Fig. 3, and the bar is inserted in the grooves 58. In this position the bar acts as a heel stop for shoes such as shoe (i l placed on the cover 62, in upright position with its shank extending over the bar 50 and its heel in contact with that portion of the bar facing toward the front of the raclc. The inclination of the pins assists in maintaining the heels of shoes in contact with the be r. in this manner shoes are carried with their bot tom portions firmly supported, with their up pers out of contact with the heel: rail of the rack, and at the same time, the shoes are so positioned with their heel ends extending outwardly as to be readily accessible from the front of the rack.

When it is desired to carry shoes of sn'iallor size than canbe supported upon the rack with the bar positioned as shown in Fig. 2, the bar 50 is moved into the intermediate grooves 56. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and i, the grooves 56 are so spaced relatively to the shoc-sup porting edges of the pins at as to locate the bar 50 in position to act as a toe rest for the foreparts of small shoes such shoe 6 carried in inverted position, the heel portions of the shoes being supported on the edges of the pins 44: in substantially the same manner as shoes of larger sizes. For carrying small shoes in upright position, the bar 50 is placed in grooves 58 and the shoes are carried in the same manner as described in connection with carrying large shoes in upright position.

It will thus be apparent that I have provided a convertible shoe rack which is selectively adapted for use throughout the entire process of shoe-making for carrying shoes over a wide range of sizes, either in inverted position or upright position.

Having described my iniuintion, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1-- 1. A shoe rack comprising a frame, end pieces supported in the frame, a pin bar connecting the end pieces, shoe-supporting pins mounted on the pin bar, a movable toe rest extending across the pins, grooves in the end pieces for locating the toe rest in position to support the foreparts of shoes of large sizes, and additional grooves in the end pieces for locating the toe rest in position to support the foreparts of shoes of small sizes.

2. A shoe rack shelf comprising end pieces, a plurality of shoe-supporting members, and a shoe-positioning member normally extending across the shoe-supporting members, the end pieces being provided with a plurality of grooves for co-operating with the positionmg member selectively to locate it in position llll ' stop for shoes carried in therack in upright position.

3. A shoe rack for carrying shoes of Widely different sizes comprising a plurality of members constructed and arranged to support shoes in inverted position, a shoe-positioning member extending across the shoe-supporting members, and means for co-operating with the shoe-positioning member selectively to locate it relatively to the 'shoe supporting members in position toengage With anclflto support shoes of the larger sizes or in position to engage with and to support shoes of the smaller sizes. 7

l. A shoe rack for errying shoes of Widely different sizes comprising pins for supporting heel portionsof shoes carried in the rack in inverted position, a positioning member extending across the pins for supporting the foreparts oi the shoes, and means for selectively locating the positioning member along the pins in position to support the foreparts of shoes of the larger sizes or in position to support the foreparts of shoes of the smaller sizes. j

5. A shoe rack for carrying shoes of Widely different sizes comprising shoe-supporting members, and a shoe-positioning member extending across the supporting members, the supporting members and the positioning member having 'interengaging portions for T locating the positioningmember relatively to ofthe smaller sizes. 1

6.'A shoe rack comprisinga plurality of shoe-supportingpins having' their outer" ends shaped'to receive between them and to sup -x port the heel portions ofshoes'carried lnthe rack, apositioning member extendingecross the pins, means for locating the posi'tlomng member relat vely to theapins' n position to support the foreparts of sho'es of the larger;

sizes, and means for locating the'positioinng member relatively to, the pins in position to support the foreparts of shoes ofthesmaller sizes.

extending across the pins for maintaining the shoes 11] position upon theplns, and means for selectively locating the bar alongthe pins in- 7 A shoe rack for, carrying shoesof widely clifl'erent sizes comprising a plurality'of pins having edges for engaging with and for supporting the heel portions of the shoes, a.bar"

of shoes of the larger sizesor position to support the foreparts of shoes of the smaller sizes. V

In testimony whereof I have igne name to this specification.

FRANCIS P. MURPHY;

3 the shoe-supporting.menibers in position to f act as a toe rest for shoes o f the larger sizes or in position meet as a toe rest 'for 'shoes 

